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Part III : Milk Cows Have Calves

• 3.1 Bottle Calf, Calf Sharing or Both?
• 3.2 Weaning
• 3.3 Breeding Back
• Conclusion

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3.1 Bottle Calf, Calf Sharing or Both?

The best answer is “that depends”

If it’s a heifer calf, we can assume she will either be a future milk cow for you or someone else, or at least a future beef producer. (If she is for some reason for beef consumption, make the same considerations that you would for a beef calf.)

A heifer calf will benefit invaluably from nursing and learning from her mother (or adoptive mother). She will learn how to be a cow. She will learn how to relate to people and other animals and how to discerningly browse forages. Any pathogen she suffers from will be combated by her mother’s milk, which will develop an exacting immune response because the mothering cow constantly licks her calf, taking in biological data which her body uses to develop specific antibodies. (Isn’t that wild? That in itself is almost worth it to me.) Besides this, her rumen will develop optimally as she takes in enzyme rich milk and learns to graze effectively, meaning she will become a healthier, more productive, more economical animal over the course of her lifetime. A minimum of four months, but preferably at least seven months, will considerably and positively affect the trajectory of that calf’s genetic and epigenetic potential. Keeping a Family Milk Cow by Joann S. Grohman and Dairy Farming The Beautiful Way by Adam J. Klaus have much helpful wisdom on this subject.

Is there a downside?

Yes. You’ll have to wean. But it is possible (with decent fencing and enough space), and they do get over it. The other consideration is that cows, believe it or not, can withhold milk and even cream from you, for their calf. Yes. You can absolutely be shortchanged by a cow. It’s like an old wives’ tale that’s actually true.

But can’t you separate them and bottle feed the heifer the mother’s milk and get the same benefits?

Yes and no. The heifer will receive the same nutrition, the same enzymes etc, but she will lack the immune boosting feedback loop if she and the mother are not in contact. She will also miss out on the social and emotional wisdom the mother cow relates to her calves. In my opinion, this is worth considering when it comes to animal that is intended to be kept and worked with for over a decade. Think of a nursing accommodation as an investment in the animal.

Does calf sharing mean she needs to be on the cow 24/7?

No; It means you’re sharing, in whatever way works best for you. A good example is something like:

• 1 day – 4 weeks old, calf with cow 24/7
• 4 weeks to 7 months old, calf with cow for 8-12 a day, after milking, otherwise separated

            In the past, We milked the cows in the morning, gave them a little time to recover and then let the calves out to nurse and comingle for the rest of the day. We separated at the evening feeding, which they readily agreed to. Weaning was easy, pragmatically, but traumatic and sad none the less.

But we think we found a better way: BOTH!

When we bought our third cow, we also bought her 2-month-old calf that had been separated from her at birth and bottle fed (mom’s milk). We had a choice to make… Do we put the calf back on? Or do we keep her on the bottle and enjoy the fact that she’s already weaned, and we don’t have to go through that again?

(SIDE NOTE: we had also just bought an orphaned steer who we were already bottle feeding, so bottle feeding wasn’t an additional inconvenience.)

BUT, this new cow was a heavy producer, meaning we’d need to commit to a twice-a-day milking schedule if we didn’t calf share. (If you read about TAD milking Part II, you know how I feel about that!)

In the end, we opted to try and graft both calves to her, and skip out on the second daily milking AND the second daily bottle feeding. It worked perfectly! (Which is really great, because not all cows are willing to adopt!)

Both: the Twofold Benefit …

We chose to keep the two calves on the bottle in the morning, since they were already accustomed to it, and then we let them out to be with mom for the rest of the day. And the beauty of this is is two-fold; for one, they are not neurotically bonded to the mother cow like our previous calves, and she is not stressed about them either. They prefer to be together, but it’s not a big deal. And secondly, these calves are far, far more happy than the [exclusively] bottle fed steers we raised previously. They are calm and content, no cross sucking, no running us over for food. They seem to understand life. It’s like the best of both worlds!

But isn’t that more work, to bottle feed AND calf share?

Not really. During the morning milking, we simply pour milk from our bucket directly into their calf buckets and hang them on the fence for the calves to drink while the cows continue to be milked. This way, they’re not ravenous sharks when we let them out and I don’t have to worry about them being too rough on the cow. The only added work is to wash the two calf buckets.

Okay but what about for a calf meant for beef? Bottle feed?

While the same health and efficiency considerations expounded upon above will apply, when it comes to a beef calf, sometimes it’s more about what fits in your program best. If you are willing to separate the calf from the mother after a few days of colostrum to make life easier on everyone involved in the hereafter, go for it. Many people do this, especially if weaning down the road isn’t feasible due to fencing or land size issues. The cow will become less hurried in the stanchion when she isn’t worried about her calf, and the cream line will likely be better than if you continued calf sharing. You could exclusively bucket feed the calf with mom’s milk, or you can do some sort of hybrid situation like I mentioned above for the sake of skipping the evening milking. It really depends on your schedule, your infrastructure and your plans.

While I can’t imagine paying for milk replacer to feed a calf if I had a milk cow, I suppose there is that option. But at that point, seriously evaluate your plan, that stuff is not cheap, and calves are selling for good money.

Herd Mentality

A calf does require companionship. They are herd animals, it’s their nature. Be prepared to solve this problem if you chose to separate calf from cow and bottle/bucket feed exclusively. Isolation can cause a calf’s health to dwindle. Companionship may be found with other calves or a mixed herd, provided none of them allow him to suckle (a dry cow or young heifer can be damaged in this way). Larger herd mates do pose a threat to small calves, especially in smaller confinements, even more so if they are horned. They can easily injure them, costing you in the end.

One of the better problems of having a dairy cow is that you may find yourself with too much milk and need someone else to feed it to. If you can find orphaned calves, that may solve your companionship problem and an the excess milk question “problem”.

We purchased four bottle calves at once to raise for beef and fed them from our excess milk. They are the only ones of our herd to be raised exclusively on bottle/bucket. They are healthy and I’m sure they will be tasty, but they have been a handful! The cross sucking, pushing, bulldozing and incessant butting have run us all crazy! Not to mention, now they’re growing horns. For these reasons, exclusively bottle feeding isn’t my favorite, but I also think we could make some improvements in our method that would better the experience.

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3.2 Weaning

As mentioned above, you may choose to wean and bottle feed initially (after 48 hours of colostrum) or after some time of calf-sharing, or a combination. Most of the dynamics of weaning can be assumed from that discussion, as weaning will simply consist of not letting the calves back out to pasture with the cows but moving them to a separate pasture.

That’s great on paper, but what does that mean on the dirt?

That means a lot of confusion, maybe some panic, definitely days of bellowing and bawling and potentially some fence testing. One of our heifers completely lost her voice, poor thing. But it’s not so bad. Just choose a time when you’ll be home, maybe a weekend, in case things get too hairy. Maybe apologize to your neighbors in advance for the noise and have some good hay and grain on hand to distract with. Most likely, it’ll go smoothly and everyone will settle down in a day or so… okay maybe a week.

They need to stay separated for a very long time. Plan on months. In the end, if weaning was not successful and the grown calf continues to show interest in nursing, you will have to make the choice to either maintain them in separate paddocks, which likely isn’t practical as far as grass and water supply go, or to sell one of them. Hopefully you won’t be forced into a choice, but keep it in the back of your mind so you’re ready to make a good decision.

A few more considerations on weaning:

Weaned calves will need the best grazing possible to help supplement their sudden loss of milk, so put them on the best pasture you can. Also, we fed our calves a tiny bit of grain, or creep feed, each evening at separation from the time the were a month old. This was to get them addicted, honestly. This way, even though they don’t rely on the feed very much nutritionally, we have some bargaining power with them. A little grain in the trough does a lot to get their minds off mom during the transition.

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Breeding Back

Don’t be like us, do better.

We beat around the bush when it came time to breed back our cows, and boy have we paid for it! Learn from my mistake and have a plan. Decide whether you want to A.I. or use live cover (or if you want to really spice up your life, embryo transfer).

Live Cover

Live cover (using a bull) is probably the simplest, cheapest and easiest option. The drawback: it involves a live bull. Do you have a bull? Probably not. Do you want a bull? Probably not. They really aren’t worth feeding (and risking your life for) unless you have a large herd of cows, in most people’s estimation. But maybe you have a neighbor or a friend who does. That can still be tricky, as you’ll still need to milk your cow everyday… even if she’s off farm. And if you’re thinking you’ll breed her back once she’s dry… think again. That’s way too late for one, and causes more complications (hormonally) besides. (See Bred Back or Open in Part II)

Artificial Insemination

If you’re considering artificial insemination, research the vets or A.I. techs in your area. Are there any? If so, reach out to them, see if they’re taking on new clients. Make sure they’ll come to your farm. Ask about pricing. Ask for any recommendations or advice they may have. Are you prepared to do the hormonal administration to have your cow artificially inseminated? It isn’t difficult, but it might be intimidating the first time around. You’ll also need a vet’s help in sourcing these drugs. You can also ask your vet/tech if they are willing to administer them, or if they are willing to come out to the farm on an “observed heat” (meaning you’re sure she is currently in estrus based on observations and previous cycle timing). You’ll also need to pick a sire, meaning you’ll need to identify your goals for the calf. Do you want a calf to sell, keep or eat? This will determine the sire and calf sex you choose.   

Embryo Transfer

Embryo transferring is much like artificial inseminating so far as the drug administration goes, but with added considerations. It’s also more expensive, less viable, more complicated and you’ll need to find an embryo transfer technician or bovine embryologist. But. BUT. You can choose any calf in the world to put into your cow. Want a purebred of a different breed? Want an investment you can sell for stupid amounts of money? Want to start new genetics a build an empire of a herd? E.T. can do that. I don’t know that I recommend looking into it though. It can really take over your thought life.

Unfortunately, we do not have an A.I. tech, an E.T. tech or a bovine vet anywhere close to us. It’s also very, very hot in Florida, so much so that the animals are too stressed to breed during the summer. So, with our initial delay in decision making, followed by the lack of local professional services available, followed by an unsuccessful attempt at E.T., and finally being further delayed by the heat, our cows remain open. We plan to A.I. soon, waiting now for the calving window to move out of summer calving.

The Calving Window

Speaking of which, consider the calving window when you breed your cow. If you’re up north, a summer calf might be fine. For us, it would be terribly stressful on the animals due to stifling heat and innumerable insects. For a northerner, winter is probably the most perilous time to have a newborn calf. Also, when that calf is born, be ready to start milking again!  

When you think your cow is bred, it’s time to get a preg check! You can find OTC pregnancy tests for cows at places like Tractor Supply or various places online, though I’ve heard people say they are not as reliable as having a vet palpate the cow. I really can’t say, the pregnancy tests have performed accurately for us. Unfortunately you will have to pull a blood sample to use it, but it’s not too hard. Observing an estrus cycle, or lack there of, is probably your first line of detection.

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Conclusion

Keeping a family milk cow and experiencing calving from conception to birth, from the first successful suckling to completed weaning, is an invaluable experience for anyone, especially children and those of us new to farming. It is such a grounding, humbling and exciting part of animal husbandry.

Thank you for being a part of this conversation.

I hope something here serves you well!

Courtney